2025 Convention Round Up

The 2025 Livestock Markets Association of Canada Annual Meeting and Convention was a huge success again this year. The event was held in Brandon, Manitoba at the Clarion Inn and Suites. This year’s host was the Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association.

The event opened on Thursday morning with full attendance at the board of directors’ meeting. After the meeting, out-of-province delegates and conventioneers were invited to tour the Norman Anderson and Sons feeding operation at Souris. Anderson purchases cattle from auctions across western Canada and is a MLMA member.  He has just installed RCC floors in a large percentage of his feedlot. One unique feature of the Anderson feedlot is the pen size; some of the pens hold 1,500 cattle and are much larger than traditional pens. Anderson’s processing, sorting and loading systems maximize the number of cattle handled, while using a very low number of staff and maintaining a reduced stress environment for the cattle. The tour was very popular with the conventioneers.

Thursday was also the meet and greet event held at Houston’s Country Roadhouse. The event was a sell out with over 300 in attendance. The auctioneer draw was held with a number of auction items sold. MNP was the meet and greet sponsor.  This national accounting firm started in Brandon, Manitoba.

On Friday, the Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Championships were held at Heartland Livestock Services in Virden. Thirty-six auctioneers from Quebec to BC sold over 5000 cattle.  Although the sale lasted longer than expected, the management and staff did an outstanding job of presenting the cattle and operating the sale.

The opening ceremonies featured the auctioneers from each province being led into the ring by a flag bearer from that province. The judges and officials were introduced, and after the singing of both the Canadian and American national anthems, the contest got underway. This was the first time in the history of LMAC that an American judge was included in the judging team. Mike Vanmaanen, the president of LMA, was part of the judging team at this year’s event. The competition was very strong, with some new faces in the Top Ten. Casey Lawes from the Provost Livestock Exchange in Alberta was crowned the Canadian Champion. The other buckle winners are listed under the convention news tab on this website. After the contest, everyone returned to Brandon for supper and live entertainment.

Saturday morning brought the LMAC annual meeting. The keynote speaker was Brenna Grant from CanFax who addressed the state of the Canadian cattle industry and presented a market outlook for the next 12 months. Ashley Scott from CCIA gave an update on traceability and what the auction markets’ responsibilities would be under the new proposed regulations. The LMAC elections took place with Brent Brooks, Casey Lawes and Mark Ferraro being re-elected as directors-at-large for another two-year term. Canadian Cattle Association President Tyler Fulton welcomed LMAC as a voting member of CCA and spoke on the importance of the two organizations working together in the future. He also spoke on the proposed tariffs from the USA and dealing with the new federal government in Canada.

Allan Munroe from the Killarney Auction Mart, Rhett Parks from Whitewood Livestock and Ken Perlich from Perlich Bros. in Lethbridge were part of a panel discussion on “Thinking Outside the Box to be Sustainable in the Future.” They spoke on different commission revenue streams, changing the type of sale platforms they use and how scanning adds value to their operations.

After the meeting, the conventioneers were bused to a local horse training facility where they were treated to a cattle stock dog demonstration. Some of the top cattle dogs in Canada were in attendance, and the spectators were shown how the dogs can assist in sorting, penning and loading cattle.  Despite the high winds, the handlers and dogs were able to put on a very enjoyable and informative demonstration.

The event wrapped up with the “Red Carpet Awards Night.”  The event was a complete sellout with over 250 people attending. The Clarion served some of the best-quality prime rib that money could buy. The winners of the different awards were announced and presented with their buckles. Each of the top ten contestants received a custom-made leather belt.

2025 Canadian Champion was Casey Lawes from Provost Livestock Exchange in Provost, Alberta. He was the winner of $1,200 cash sponsored by LMAC, the use of an EBY trailer for a year sponsored by EBY, T-Down Trailers and Kaldeck Trailer Sales, a championship ring sponsored by Foothills Auctioneers Inc., Stavely, Alberta, a limited-edition bronze statue sponsored by the Canadian Hereford Association, and a champion belt buckle, sponsored by the Canadian Limousin Association.

Reserve Champion was awarded to Tyler Slawinski from the Gladstone and Ashern Auction Markets in Manitoba. He received the Canadian Shorthorn buckle.

First Runner Up this year was Rob Bergevin, Foothills Auctioneering Inc., Stavely, Alberta. He was the winner of the Canadian Charolais Association buckle.

Second Runner Up went to Kirk Goldsmith from VJV Marketing Group in Ponoka, Alberta. Goldsmith took home the Canadian Simmental buckle.

Third Runner Up was awarded to John Baier from Heartland Livestock Services in Swift  Current, Saskatchewan. John received the Canadian Angus Association buckle.

The Thorsby Stockyards Inc. buckle for the High Point Interview was awarded for the third time in five years to Rob Bergevin from the Foothills Auctioneers Inc. at Stavely, Alberta.

Boehringer Engelheim sponsors the LMAC Rookie of the Year buckle, and this year’s recipient was Russell Allison who sells at the BC Co-op in Kamloops, BC.

The Jack Auction Group Most Improved buckle was awarded to Kody Lakevold from the Vermilion Livestock Exchange in Alberta.

The People’s Choice Award is sponsored by the Parks family at Whitewood Livestock. This award is voted on by the auctioneers in the competition.  This year’s winner was Blaine Huston from the Gladstone Auction Mart.

The Man/Sask Auctioneering Championship was held in conjunction with the LMAC national contest. Boehringer Engelheim sponsored the event. The winner was Allan Monroe from the Killarney Auction Mart in Manitoba.

The Bob Wright Memorial buckle is awarded to the top rookie from the Man/Sask competition. It is sponsored by Rick Wright Cattle Consulting and was awarded to first- year contestant Walker Murphy from Whitewood Livestock Sales.

LMA President Mike Vanmaanen addressed the crowd and was very well received. He was impressed by the quality of cattle and market knowledge of the LMAC members and local producers. He spoke about the similarities between LMA and LMAC and how the two organizations can work together despite trade tensions between the two governments.  He invited LMAC to send representatives to their meeting in Omaha in June 2025.

Scott Anderson, a producer and sponsor from Alberta, gave a passionate address from the producers’ point of view about the importance of the auction market industry and LMAC.  He spoke about the value  of the personal connections that are developed over the years between the markets, sellers and buyers, and the trust producers put into the market to sell the producers’ whole year’s work.

Rick Wright was recognized for the many hours of work he put into organizing this and many other conventions and was presented with a custom-made leather belt on behalf of MLMA.

Jim Abel from the Stettler Auction Mart was inducted into the LMAC Hall of Fame. Abel is a past president and alum of LMAC. He is also past president of the Alberta Auction Markets Association. Jim Abel served on numerous committees during his terms on the board of directors for LMAC.  A large number of family members travelled to Brandon to witness Jim’s induction into the Hall of Fame. He received a standing ovation after his acceptance speech.

This year, there were four inductees to the Memorial Honour Roll. Deryl Miller, a cattle buyer and owner of Miller Livestock from Saskatoon was nominated by the Livestock Marketers of Saskatchewan. Miller was a legend in the cattle buying business near Saskatoon.

Jim Blackshaw from Virden, Manitoba, an employee at Heartland Livestock Services in Virden for over 45 years, was the first non-order buyer or auction mart operator to be included on the Memorial Honour Roll, His dedication to the job set standards for customer service and reliability.

Larry Schweitzer, co-owner of Hamiota Feedlot Limited at Hamiota, Manitoba, was also inducted to the Memorial Honour Roll. Schweitzer was recognized for his contributions to the Canadian cattle industry. He was past president of the Manitoba Beef Producers, the National Cattle Feeders, and was an active member of MLMA. Both Blackshaw and Schweitzer were nominated by the Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association.

Wilf Smith was an auctioneer and fieldman for the BC Co-op at Williams Lake for 34 years.  He was nominated by the Mountain Markets Association.

LMAC CEO Rick Wright announced that the 2026 convention would be held in Medicine Hat, Alberta, with the Auctioneering Championships at SALE-Cowtown at Maple Creek, Saskatchewan in May. He also thanked the many sponsors and volunteers who made the 2025 Convention a great success.

Many of the conventioneers and award winners took advantage of the two unique photo booths on-site to pose for professional photos provided by LMAC.

Each evening the LMAC Bullpen was open. Conventioneers could stop in for refreshments and the chance to network with Canada’s top livestock marketing companies, auctioneers and service providers. This was a great chance to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.  Over 275 people from across Canada and the United States attended this year’s convention. Sponsorship support from MLMA members, LMAC members, industry partners and service providers was very generous again this year.